Upon learning that the Beastmen actually wanted them to take him back to Sky City for treatment of his injuries, Liliya reacted swiftly and immediately whispered to Rocky, “Take him back and try to keep him.”
The words took Rocky by surprise. Although he was astonished by Liliya’s change of attitude, he quickly understood her intention—was she planning to have him subjugate the Beastman before them?!
Once he grasped Liliya’s intent, Rocky immediately felt it was feasible!
Despite the Beastman having lost an arm, which made him appear gravely injured, his inherent strength was unmistakable. Even with one arm missing, his power was not to be underestimated. Unfortunately, in his current state, it was impossible for him to continue as a Demon Hunter. Slaying demons single-handedly, the Beastman had not reached such a monstrous level of strength.
But this presented Rocky with an opportunity. If he could retain the Beastman who could no longer hunt demons under his command, it would surely be a significant asset. Whether it was the Beastman’s strength or his experience and insight, it would all be of immense help to Rocky!
Thinking this, he gave Liliya a slight nod to show that he understood her message, then turned to the Beastman and said,
“I can take you to Sky City.”
“Thank you so much!”
Seeing Rocky’s nod of agreement, the Beastman appeared very excited, and the nerves he had been straining relaxed, causing his massive body to sway uncontrollably thereafter.
His injuries were actually much more severe than they appeared. The reason he had maintained his imposing demeanor was largely due to sheer tenacity; now that he had relaxed, he was clearly struggling to keep up.
This guy, he’s quite clever…
Noticing the Beastman’s complexion worsen, Rocky naturally understood that his just prior appearance was feigned. This didn’t surprise him. After all, neither party knew the other, and it wasn’t wrong for the Beastman to maintain a strong front, at least to appear capable of fighting, otherwise no one could ensure that he wouldn’t become another hunting target.
This kind of thing was not uncommon on land.
“What’s your name?”
And so, Rocky, Liliya, and the Beastman left the forest together, beginning their journey towards the edge of the woodland.
As they walked, Rocky asked.
“Monte.”
The Beastman glanced at Rocky, looking past Liliya who was between them, and in a deep, resonant voice, he stated his name.
Although the three of them were walking together towards the outskirts of the forest at this time, they still maintained a considerable distance from one another. Liliya and Rocky walked side by side, deliberately keeping the Beastman apart from Rocky, clearly still on guard.
Liliya didn’t see a problem with this caution. Although she was keen on having Rocky subdue the Beastman, until they fully understood his background and character, it was prudent to remain guarded; otherwise, it might be too late if anything went wrong.
The Beastman also noticed Liliya’s thoughts and consciously maintained a fair distance from Rocky. It was fortunate his voice was naturally loud, otherwise they might have struggled to hear each other while talking.
“My name is Rocky, and this is my guard, Liliya. We are from Thunderhawk City.”
After Monte introduced himself, Rocky also briefly introduced themselves, and with that, they were acquainted.
“How do you plan on returning to Sky City? You can use my Skyship if you want.”
Continuing towards the edge of the forest, Monte asked.
“No need, someone will come to pick us up.”
“You have a Skyship?”
Liliya declined Monte’s offer, but Rocky’s face showed surprise and curiosity. He knew that Monte was a Demon Hunter, but he was unaware that the other man also possessed a Skyship. Skyships were not cheap; most people simply could not afford one.
They say Demon Hunters are wealthy, and it seems to be true.
“Just a small, worn vessel barely good enough to get by, not worth much.”
As for Rocky’s surprise and curiosity, Monte wasn’t taken aback.
As a Demon Hunter, Monte had traveled far and wide, and he could immediately tell that Rocky, although of no ordinary status, was ignorant about many things, such as his current reaction, which showed that he didn’t have much understanding of Demon Hunters.
For a true Demon Hunter like Monte, owning a Skyship was not out of the ordinary; in fact, his home was on the Skyship.
Because of their constant hunting of demons, Demon Hunters spent more time on land than in Sky City. Furthermore, since Sky City could fly, it could move to different locations after a certain period. Therefore, for Demon Hunters, a profession that required extended periods on land, it was common to be without a fixed abode and to set up their homes directly on their own Skyships.
Monte was such a Demon Hunter who not only had his own skyship but also lived on it with his daughter.
Thinking of his daughter waiting for his return, Monte sighed silently to himself. He had never anticipated falling prey to a Grayrock Demon. Although his life was spared, one of his hands had been crippled, which made it impossible for him to continue hunting demons.
It seemed he needed to start making plans early, Monte couldn’t help but think.
Without realizing it, the three of them had walked out of the forest and at the same time, a hint of dawn had risen at the edge of the sky, day had broken.
Upon exiting the forest, whether it was Liliya, Rocky, or Monte, all three sighed in relief at the same time. Then Liliya took out a signal disc and sent a signal to Thunderhawk City.
Monte was startled when he saw the signal disc in Liliya’s hands. He recognized the object, and he knew that such a signal disc was not something ordinary people could use.
At the same time, he also took out a signal flare, lit it, and held it up to the sky. This was the way ordinary people sent signals. Liliya’s method of contacting Sky City directly with a signal disc was a practice reserved for the nobility.
Of course, there were more advanced methods, such as using Mana to directly transmit sound or images, which were certainly not something the average person could afford.
Shortly after the signals were sent, a skyship slowly approached from a distance and began to land after it neared Rocky and his group.
This skyship was naturally not from Thunderhawk City, as it was clearly a small civilian skyship, even smaller than the scout ships of Thunderhawk City. It looked somewhat dated, and a young Female Beastman stood on the prow of the ship.
“I’m heading back first. I’ll go to Sky City with your skyship later,”
After greeting Rocky, Monte walked towards his own skyship. Although his figure was still towering, it couldn’t help but look somewhat lonely.
Watching his figure recede into the distance, Rocky and Liliya almost simultaneously let out sighs.
Although Monte hadn’t said much along the way, they could hear a hint of helplessness and worry in his few words, especially when they saw the young Female Beastman standing on the skyship, they understood Monte’s feelings even better.
“Is that his daughter?”
“It looks to be about the right age,” Liliya nodded and said helplessly, “That’s the life of a Demon Hunter. These people deal with demons on a regular basis and few end well. Monte is already lucky to have survived.”
“……”
Rocky didn’t know what to say in response to Liliya’s words, as this was probably the fate of a Demon Hunter. These individuals danced on the edge of the knife every day and eventually died by that same blade.
“When will our skyship arrive?”
For some reason, Rocky suddenly felt the wait was too long. He was eager to return to Thunderhawk City. Perhaps he longed for the City Lord’s seat, or maybe he just wanted Monte to receive treatment as soon as possible. He wasn’t sure himself.
“Don’t worry. Aileen has received the signal. We should arrive in another hour or two,”
Liliya glanced at the signal disc in her hand, which had received a signal from Aileen. This indicated that Aileen inside Sky City had sent a skyship.
Hearing this, Rocky nodded, knowing that it was no use being anxious about such matters and began the long wait with Liliya.
In principle, waiting for two hours wasn’t a very long time, but because they were carrying a lot of Greyrock Stones, and with Monte’s presence, both Rocky and Liliya wanted to return to Thunderhawk City quickly to feel at ease.
However, before their skyship arrived, they encountered an unwelcome surprise!
The surprise visitors were not Demons, but other humans!
Just as the two hours were almost up, a group of people suddenly flew in from the sky!
A Void Magic Squad had suddenly appeared!
The so-called Void Magic Squad was a troop composed of Void Magic Armor soldiers, the most elite troops across the skies.
The squad that appeared in Rocky and Liliya’s view was about ten strong, each member clad in the latest model of Void Magic Armor.
“How did we run into a Void Magic Squad?”
Seeing the Void Magic Squad flying overhead, Rocky and Liliya were both stunned, having not expected to encounter such a high-end team.
And as they spotted the group, the Void Magic Squad in mid-air also noticed them, with the leader even halting in place!
This is bad!
Seeing the others notice them and halt, both Rocky and Liliya were struck with panic, worrying they might not be able to return this time…!